Making Me Stronger
by jessicuhxoo
Summary: Wait a second... The Captain America is afraid of dogs? Or just finding love? AU of the sorts. OC/Steve
**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Marvel does. But I do own my OC :)**

* * *

"OH MY GOD STOP! YOU FREAKING NEED TO STOP! Shit. Noooo, no, HOLY—OH SHIT!"

The next thing I knew I was flying, my feet dangling behind me only to be met with the hard concrete. A low breath left my throat as my face collided with the ground.

A wet tongue swiped across my face, forcing me to slowly look up at my dog's black eyes.

"Stupid dog," I said with a groan. I pressed my hands to the floor and lifted myself up to my knees. I picked up my greyhound's leash which had caused my fall in the first place.

"Here's a tip for you Dash," I started, ruffling my hand on his golden head. "Next time I say slow down, actually slow down!" I scolded him harshly, knowing fully well that he couldn't understand me. I still at least hope that he somewhat got the message.

I finally clambered onto my feet, brushing the dirt off of my pants. Before I had the chance to take a breath, Dash was running again. This time causing the leash to scrape across the bare skin of my hand and fly in my face as I let go of it. I held my freshly whipped nose and looked down at the rope burn that was left on my hand.

"I should have bought a cat!" I screamed, now running after the dog that was now miles away.

* * *

"Uh—Steve…" I heard Bucky's voice of warning, causing me to look up from my phone to see a strange expression on his face.

"What?" I asked him, wondering why he was giving me such odd looks.

"You have a dog sniffing your ass," he chuckled, trying to suppress his laughter.

I turned my body abruptly, only to see that what Bucky had said was true.

"Oh God!" I exclaimed, leaping back and crashing into a surprised Bucky.

"Man, what the hell?" he shoved me off of him and back at the happy-looking greyhound.

"Buck!" I stepped back away from the toothy-grinning greyhound.

"What? Sorry for not wanting to protect you from the dog," he said sarcastically, brushing past me and kneeling down to the dog's height.

"You remember about my, err, you know…" I tried hinting at him as he continued to pet the dog lovingly on the head.

"Remember what?" he asked me with a toothy grin.

I could tell by the grin on his face that he knew exactly what I was talking about but was only choosing to humiliate me further.

"You know, my…slight fear," I said the last word quietly, my cheeks turning a bright crimson.

A low chuckle left his lips as he looked up at me with a James Buchanan Barnes gleam in his eyes.

"You were always afraid of dogs for reasons that I will never understand. Even if it has been 70 years," he started, laughing a bit harder. He was soon clutching his side, still roaring with laughter, making the dogs ears turn back at the loud noise.

"It's not funny…" I mumbled harshly, kicking him gently in the shin. Even after all this time, he still knew how to push my buttons and make me feel even more embarrassed.

"Sorry," he said after his laughter died down. "We should find this little guy's owner." Standing up, Bucky picked up the leash attached to the dog's collar with his gloved hand and pulled it off in the direction it had originally came from.

I frowned at the newfound company. My instincts told me we couldn't just leave the poor thing, but my fears suggested otherwise.

"Can't we just leave it here?" I asked, following behind him while making sure to also keep my space. I didn't want it to attack me.

Bucky turned his head at me with a raised brow. "Well, that wouldn't really be very Captain America-like now would it?" he mocked dryly as he continued walking on.

I groaned to myself, knowing he was right and jogged to catch up to where he was.

* * *

"Have you seen a greyhound anywhere? A brownish gold kind of color? Running really, really fast?" I asked the stranger frantically. I smiled widely when he pointed towards a nearby ice cream stand in the distance.

"Thank you!" I sighed breathlessly before starting my long jog once again through the endless Central Park.

"Is this your dog?"

My eyes were suddenly averted to the convenient question. Looking to my right to see a very tall, masculine male with a baseball cap covering his long locks. His friend was also wearing a baseball cap but with glasses as well.

I couldn't help the smile that spread across my lips as they passed by ongoing strangers asking if the dog belonged to them.

"Excuse me!" I shouted after them, running towards Dash's wagging tail.

"Can we help you ma'am?" The one with the glasses spoke up, answering urgently as if he was used to people asking for help.

"Yeah. That's my dog," I said breathlessly, clutching my side as a cramp began to develop.

"Oh here you go." The one holding the leash said, handing it to me.

"Uh—we'll be going now. Enjoy your dog." The one with the glasses said, still eyeing the dog as if it was going to attack him at any second. He gripped his friends shoulder with super strength trying to drag him away, but he wouldn't budge.

"Uh—okay…" I said cautiously, staring down the nervous-looking guy who was trying to drag his friend away.

"So, what's he doing wandering around the park on his own?" The guy with longer hair smirked, still not budging, as his friend continued to nudge him. He completely ignored his friend though and bent down to scratch Dash's chin.

"He's a fast dog," I said, feeling slightly uncomfortable. I pulled him away from the man's fingers.

"Well he seemed to actually behave with me," he replied smartly. Man, I kind of want to slap that dumb grin off his face. I could tell instantly that he thought he was smooth with the ladies.

"Yes, well some of us don't have beastly muscles like you two have." I spat back, turning myself away from his frustrating smile and his nervous friend. I marched across the park, pulling a now slow Dash behind me.

"Oh so now you slow down!" I shouted out of frustration as I tugged more on his leash, only to be growled at in return. "Will you just pick up the pace?" I whined, causing Dash to a complete halt. "Okay, now that's not funny," I said straightening out my posture and glaring down at the dog.

"Wow, he really does love you!" I heard the man, who was now officially at the top of my hate list, shout from behind me.

"Oh would you just—." Suddenly my reply was cut off by Dash's loud barking, causing me and the know it all scruffy guy to stare at him worriedly, only to see he wasn't barking at either of us.

"He can smell my fear!" The taller man practically screamed, backing away from Dash's stare. It was kind of odd. He seemed to be physically and mentally stronger than the scruffy guy, yet he was the one afraid of my dog.

"Dash!" I yelled, trying to get the dog to calm down, but as soon as I felt the leash tightened I winced at what was about to happen. I clenched my fist to tighten my grip and get a hold of him before he could run.

"God you can't even control it!" The scruffy guy said in clear annoyance, walking towards the excitable dog.

"He's never done this before!" I said in a panic, using all my strength to keep him from the fearful looking man, who's eyes were now widened with fear.

"Ke—keep him away!" he stuttered, as if this was the worst thing to ever happen to him.

Too late for that. As the scruffy man who was coming closer to reach Dash, the dog leaped out of the way causing me to lose my balance and fall onto the concrete, also losing my grip on the leash.

"Dash!" I screamed, watching in terror as he went running up to the petrified man.

* * *

I closed my eyes as the dog gained speed, putting my arms in front of my face protectively as if I was holding my shield and I was about to get hit by an enemy.

I braced myself, still waiting for the impact but the patter of his running grew silent as did my suspicion when nothing hit me. Lowering my hands cautiously, I looked to the floor to see the happy looking dog smiling up at me. I smiled slightly at the fact that he didn't attack me, and slowly released the breath I was holding. I glanced up to see Bucky staring back in clear amusement of the whole situation.

"Well that was weird." The owner groaned as she picked herself from the floor, strolling towards her dog with a cautious look on her face.

"Dash?" She beckoned the dog nervously.

His happy barked rang through my ears as he ran back to the petite girl drawing circles round her as his tongue fell from his mouth and flew behind him.

An angelic laugh left her lips as she bent down and scooped the dogs face in her hands, scratching him behind the ears as he panted breathlessly. Her laugh it was so familiar to me and it made my heart skip a beat, like I was back in the 1940s. Now that I continue to stare at her she looks so familiar to me, like I've met her before.

I stole a glance at Bucky, who was surprisingly eyeing me with a knowing look and nodded his head towards the girl as if he was trying to set me up like the old days. I shook my head at the thought.

"You got us worried there." She told the dog happily. "Sorry about the scare," she said, turning her face from Dash and now smiling warmly at me.

"It's quite alright…" I replied nervously, my heart still beating at the whole almost being attacked and from her kind smile.

"He's never really done that before; he must like you." She laughed, her clear blue eyes lighting up her beautiful face.

"Y—yeah." A sudden nervous feeling came over me again and I automatically stepped closer to her, hypnotized by her smile.

"You can pet him if you like, he won't bite…" she told me, getting up from her knees as she gave the dog one last pat on the head.

"Uh—alright…" I replied. My own confidence was a shock to me, cautiously reaching out for the dogs head I placed my hand between his ears and dragged it across his back awkwardly. I wasn't really used to petting a dog, and the only experience I had was traumatic back when I was just a scrawny kid.

She laughed at my pathetic attempt to be friendly and took a step closer towards me. "Here," she said taking my hand and putting it gently back where I had started. Her touch sent electricity throughout my body. Something I thought that I would never feel again after Peggy. But something about this girl reminded me of her. Her warmth felt just like Peggy's. My thoughts were interrupted when she started talking to me again.

"You're not used to dogs, are you?" She giggled again as she glided my hand across the dog's fur.

"So—something like that…" I replied still feeling nervous, but I don't think I was really nervous about the dog anymore. All I could focus on was her soft, delicate hand that wrapped around my own.

"What's your name?" she asked happily as she continued to help me pet the dog. I instantly glanced over to Bucky to see if I should reveal my true identity, and he had his hands shoved into his hoodie as he shrugged his shoulders. He still was smirking at me, clearly finding this whole situation hilarious.

Well I'm glad this brought him more out of his comfort zone.

"Steve," I finally replied after a while, smiling down at her as she finally let go of my hand.

"Melanie," she replied, grinning back up at me.

A sudden cough broke us out of our trance, causing us both to blush slightly and look over to see an amused looking Bucky.

"And I'm Bu—James…" he said, quickly fixing his mistake. He didn't know if he should really say his nickname because usually people put two and two together, since he realized that he was all over the Smithsonian museum, he doesn't want to risk being caught by HYDRA again. But I really doubt this girl had anything to do with that.

"Are we done with the introductions now?" he chuckled, but I knew from being his close friend that he was slightly getting impatient. But he didn't want to say anything because he knew all the torture I dealt with when I had to be his dates date.

"Sure." I chuckled slightly, giving the dog one last pet before looking back into Melanie's eyes.

"Well I guess I'll see you around Captain," she responded quietly, smiling at me wickedly and turned to walk away.

Bucky's jaw dropped as did mine. I grabbed her arm, pulling her back softly. "How—how did you—?"

"How did you know that?" Bucky asked, suddenly on alert.

She shook her head slightly, and let out a tiny laugh. "You guys didn't really choose the best disguises… and seriously Bucky? One handed glove? You could at least put one on the other as well. Besides the news has been buzzing since you guys reunited. But anyways, I'll let you guys get back to your run. Have a good day." And with that she turned around again from the both of us.

I couldn't help but watch her walk away. I let out a huge sigh, mentally hitting myself for letting another one get away. My thoughts though were interrupted harshly, by Bucky pushing me roughly.

I glared at him while he pointed in the direction Melanie went into.

"Why didn't you ask her out?" he asked me in annoyance. He fully knew well enough that I was never the good one with girls. But he also knew how hard it was for me to let go of Peggy and find another partner to dance with.

"I don't want to drag her into a war… it wouldn't be right and you know it," I replied. My mind said this was the right call, but my heart was screaming at me to go and follow the young looking dame.

* * *

"So what did you think of them Dash?" I smiled at him as we strolled away from the two undercover superheroes, and he barked happily, informing me that he enjoyed their company very much.

"Yeah I know, Dash. But he's Captain America! He probably has dates every night of the week," I said to my dog sadly. Before I could dwell on this fact, I felt the leash tighten in my hand, and this time heading back to the direction we came from.

"Dash…" I warned him as he pulled me back to where we previously stood. "Don't you…" Before I had the chance to brace myself he was running back to the two superheroes, making them both jump in surprise as he began to bark.

"Dash stop!" I yelled, trying desperately to keep my balance. I felt the recognizable thud as I collided with the ground but this time in an effort to keep myself standing I had dragged someone down with me.

"Are you alright, Melanie?" I heard Steve ask from below me. I groaned from the impact, but immediately opened my eyes and blushed when I looked down to see, a concerned looking Steve staring up at me.

I slowly gulped, trying to process his question and I blubbered out nervously, "My dog apparently wanted to see you again."

He let out a laugh as he sat the both of us up and if my face could turn any redder it would when I realized I was basically sitting in Captain America's lap. I abruptly got up off of him untangling the leash from our feet.

He picked himself off the ground, dusting off his shorts. "You want to know what's funny?

"Hmm?" I asked him, still blushing from what happened.

"Last time I heard him coming I was full of fear and this time I don't know, I felt happy he was coming back," he explained, looking down at the dog with a slight shy smile tugging from his lips.

I let out a quiet giggle and looked towards Bucky who was distractedly petting Dash. A sudden thought came to me and I pulled out a piece of paper and pen from my bag and wrote down my phone number.

Steve's attention was on me now, staring at me curiously as if he was confused with what I was doing.

Once I was finished with my task I grabbed Steve's hand and opened his palm, placing the folded piece of paper in his hand. He continued to stare down at his hand with a dumbfound expression which I couldn't help but giggle again at, because he looked so cute. I walked over to where Bucky was and grabbed Dash's leash once again.

Before I walked away, I looked back at Steve. "Call me if you ever, you know want to see Dash and get over another fear of yours." I told him with teasing smile.

* * *

I looked down at the paper in my hand with surprise. I sure didn't expect her to give me her number. Before I could process anything any further. Bucky through his arm over my shoulder with a proud grin on his face.

"You did it man! Do you think she has a friend?" And with that I laughed, shoving him and started running again. He followed trying to shove me back, but I dodged him.

At least she helped me get over my slight fear. I wonder if she could make me stronger?

* * *

 **A/N: Hello! So this is new. It's my first Captain America fanfic. I've been on a binge recently, reading different ones like crazy. I'm also super excited for Civil War to come out. Sorry if there are any mistakes I am not perfect. But anyways I'm also sorry if they were a bit OOC. Like I said it's my first fanfic with them so I'm trying to get their personalities right. But this kind of is an AU but like also maybe beginning of Civil War? Idk you decide. Leave a review! Thanks!**

 **Jess.**


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